ISLAMABAD, Oct 31: Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal on Thursday decided to take the Muttahida Qaumi Movement into confidence on its efforts for forming coalition governments of national consensus at the Centre and in the provinces.
MMA deputy secretary-general Hafiz Hussain Ahmed was assigned the task of holding talks with the MQM and explore the possibilities of getting its cooperation.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the heads of the MMA’s component parties which was presided over by Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani.
The MQM was omitted from the major parliamentary parties’ conference which the MMA had hosted on Tuesday. Some of the participants had then pointed it out with a request to get the MQM along in future parleys.
Talking to newsmen, Maulana Noorani said that any change to the floor-crossing law would open the gates of immorality and political instability, and entail an unending process of horse trading.
He, however, expressed the confidence that the MMA’s strength would not be affected if the floor-crossing law was withdrawn as the MPs belonging to the alliance were ideologically sound and were not a salable commodity.
Maulana Fazlur Rahman, Maulana Samiul Haq, Allama Sajid Ali Naqvi, Prof Sajid Mir, Liaquat Baloch and Hafiz Hussain Ahmed attended the meeting. Qazi Hussain Ahmed did not turn up as he had left for Peshawar.
Maulana Fazl said that the government should respect the will of people and come to terms on the issue of the constitutional amendments, especially the Legal Framework Order.
The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, he said, was ready to reach an understanding with the military regime through dialogue.
Asked about the MMA’s apparent tilt towards the PML-Q, he said the MMA was trying to break the deadlock so that power could be transferred to the elected representatives without any hurdle.
In reply to a question about the opposition which some of the JUI members had expressed to Qazi Hussain Ahmed’s appointment as the MMA’s parliamentary leader on Wednesday, Maulana Fazl denied that there was any differences between the top leadership of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal.
He revealed that the three major parliamentary parties were close to reaching at an understanding on the formation of a coalition government and they would achieve the target in a few days.
When his attention was drawn to reports suggesting that he would become chief minister of the NWFP in case he did not succeed in getting the prime ministerial slot, Maulana Fazl said the nomination of Akram Durrani against the said post was final.
He said he did not want that the law was changed for his sake.